Haiti

Context at a glance

In rural areas, nine or more people live in these very small structures made from sticks and woven plant materials

Of Haiti's 6.6 million inhabitants, 63 percent do not have access to clean water and two-thirds lack access to sanitation. The estimated national housing deficit is 1 million homes and this figure increases annually.

The average Haitian family has five members and lives in a home with two to three rooms and one to two bedrooms. Roofs are usually corrugated sheet metal or straw, and over 40 percent of homes have earthen floors. About half have a kitchen, which is almost always outside.

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere and conditions are worsening. Two-thirds of Haiti's workers are unemployed, and most Haitians live on about US$1 a day. The United Nations placed Haiti in 150th place of 175 nations on its 2003 Human Development Index.

Habitat for Humanity programme

Habitat for Humanity Haiti was established in 1981 and completed its 500th house in the summer of 2003.

HFH Haiti homes are an average of 500 square feet and have a kitchen, two bedrooms, a living room and bathroom. The walls are of cement block with a corrugated iron roof, cement floor and aluminium and glass windows. Traditional building methods and local materials are used.

Partner families benefit from training and education classes on topics such as family economics and budgeting, micro-enterprise business plans and evaluation, construction techniques and skills, crisis resolution, nutrition, health, literacy, family relations and community living.

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